Я тебя люблю
by ItalianPrincess92
Summary: Yuuri asks Victor to teach him Russian. He gets a cute surprise in return. Happy birthday, my lil katsudon!


**I have this HC that Victor is either fluent (or nearly fluent) in many languages due to him traveling all over the world for different skating competitions.**

 **I used Google Translate so please correct me if I'm wrong** **aha**

 **Happy birthday to the cutest katsudon around, Yuuri Katsuki. I love my son.**

 **(Yuuri definitely calls Victor "Vitya")**

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Yuuri hears Victor praise Yurio for a job well done at the Rostelecom Cup. Listens as Victor consoles Georgi over his breakup with Anya. Catches Victor's pleas to Yakov to fill in as Yuuri's coach while he rushes back to Japan to be by Makkachin's side. The only problem is that each time, Victor is speaking Russian, and Yuuri can't understand one single word he's saying.

At first, it doesn't bother him. Naturally, Victor is most comfortable using Russian, the same way he is with Japanese. And it's not like he's insecure enough to think that Victor is talking about him behind his back. No, it's not that at all. The real issue arises during a recent video chat with Victor's family back in St. Petersburg. Words fly back and forth between Victor and his relatives at rapid fire pace, and all Yuuri can do is smile and wave at the camera. For the first time since they've met, Yuuri feels like an outsider, and it hits him how much he's missing out on regarding Victor's life because of the language barrier. Well, Yuuri is determined to change that... he hopes.

Who knows? Maybe Victor can add 'Russian Tutor' to his résumé, right below figure skating legend-turned-coach, and the World's Greatest Boyfriend...

Tapping on the doorframe to Victor's room to get his attention, Yuuri steps in and slides the door shut behind him. "Hi," he says. "Can I ask you something?"

Victor is sitting cross-legged on the bed, reading, with Makkachin curled up at the foot of the bed. He closes the book and smiles. "Of course. Anything for you, _podsolnechnik_."

Yuuri blushes slightly at the nickname. That's one of the few Russian words he _does_ know. _Sunflower._

Strolling over, Yuuri sits beside Victor and mirrors his position. "Um, so..."

"What's that?" Victor gestures to something that Yuuri is holding against his chest.

Yuuri's come prepared. He has a pad of paper and a pen to take notes, as well as a Russian-English dictionary he picked up from the library the day before. Without warning, he drops the supplies into Victor's lap. "Will you teach me?"

"Teach you...?" Victor asks, taking the dictionary in his hands. He then turns it over and reads the cover. "Russian?"

"Russian," Yuuri says with a nod.

"Oh." Victor looks genuinely surprised but nevertheless intrigued. "Sure. What would you like to know?"

"Well, just, basic stuff, I guess? I mean, I'm not expecting to be fluent or anything. But enough so I can have an actual conversation with Yurio and Georgi, or even your parents when they call. Oh, and can you write it down for me?"

With a small laugh that makes Yuuri's heart skip a beat, Victor cradles the back of Yuuri's head with his hand and presses his forehead against Yuuri's. "You never cease to surprise me, _moya lyubov'_." He then balances the pad on his knee and twirls the pen between his fingers. "Alright. Let's see. We'll start simple. 'Hello.'"

Yuuri leans over, watching as Victor neatly spells out the word, first using the Cyrillic alphabet, and then Latin. "Hello," Victor says, holding up the pad. " _Здравствуйте_. _Zdravstvuyte_."

Sucking in a breath, Yuuri mouths the word to himself before speaking aloud. " _Z_... _drav_... _stut_... _ya_." His cheeks redden. He's butchering Victor's native language, and they both know it.

Victor gives his hand an encouraging squeeze. "Close. The first 'V' is actually silent. But try again. You almost got it."

Yuuri straightens up and squints at the word, trying to remember how Victor pronounced it. " _Zdra_... _stoy_... _tyet_."

Victor gasps. "See? You're getting the hang of it already. And, if you want, you can also say ' _привет_.' _Privet_. It's more informal, but pretty common nowadays. It's basically the same as saying 'Hi.'"

" _Privet_ ," Yuuri repeats, this time with no hesitation. He likes the way it rolls off his tongue. "Do another one," he says, eyes sparkling with the pride of accomplishment. "This is fun."

Victor chuckles and writes down the second word. "Since you know 'hello,' now you learn 'goodbye.' _До свидания. Do svidaniya_."

" _Do svi... do svidaniya_. How was that?"

Victor leans into Yuuri, turning his face just enough so his nose brushes against his cheek. "Perfect."

His warm breath tickles his neck and Yuuri giggles, giving his arm a playful nudge. "Stay focused, Vitya."

"Okay, okay," Victor surrenders, holding his hands up in mock defeat. "Let's continue, shall we?"

There's a knock at the door, and Yuuri can see a hazy silhouette on the other side of the rice paper screen.

"Hey, you guys in here?" It's Mari.

Yuuri groans. They're just getting started. "Yeah?"

"Dinner's ready. Mom wants you both to wash up and come out now."

Yuuri casts a glare at the door, even though his sister can't see him. "Fine. We'll be there in a minute."

He waits until he hears her footsteps recede before looking up at Victor. Yuuri cracks a grin. "One more."

Tapping the paper with the pen, Victor directs Yuuri's gaze to what he's scribbled on the bottom of the page. "Here we go. _Я тебя люблю. Ya tebya lyublyu_."

Yuuri scrunches his eyebrows in fierce concentration. He still can't make sense of the Cyrillic letters to save his life, but he turns to the Latin translation for help." _Ya... teb..._ _ya... lub... blu...blub...blub..._ Mm." This one is proving tricky. "What does it mean?" Yuuri asks, mentally dissecting the phrase into syllables.

Victor places his thumb and forefinger under Yuuri's chin and gently tips his face up. "I think it's better if I show you," he says, a sparkle in his blue eyes. Victor then ducks his head down a bit and presses his lips against Yuuri's. It's sweet and chaste, and Yuuri's mouth curves into a smile. He melts. When Victor pulls back a moment later, Yuuri grins, relishing in the warmth left behind. He spares a glance at the paper in his hand trying to connect the dots. "Does it mean 'kiss' or something?"

"No," Victor says with a chuckle. He gives Yuuri another peck, but this time it's to his hair. "It means 'I love you.'" Victor traces Yuuri's jawline with his thumb, the touch light, barely perceptible. "I love you so much, Yuuri. And I hope you never get tired of hearing it because I am going to say it every day for the rest of my life, in every way I can."

With yet another blush turning his fair complexion pink, Yuuri drops the pad and throws his arms around Victor's neck, engulfing him in a hug. He buries his face into Victor's shirt, feeling tears of joy pricking at the corners of his eyes. His heart swells and a thousand butterflies flap wildly within his stomach.

"Never," he mumbles into the fabric. "I love you, too, Vitya. _Ya tebya lyublyu_."

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